Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 DC2DC Charger ERROR

[dhays]

I had installed a Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 DC2DC Charger to charge my house bank from my thruster/windlass bank while running the engine. The alternator is feeding the thruster bank. Testing at the dock at idle it worked fine. First sea trial, it seems to work OK initially but then as I was running solo I couldn't monitor it closely. At some point, it blew the 60 Amp fuse on the output side. Two days later, armed with new 75amp fuses, I once again was out on the water. This time the Orion gave me an error code, #28 Power Stage Issue. Victron documentation doesn't say much about this other than:

Error 28 - Power stage issue• This error will not auto-reset. Disconnect all wires, and then reconnect all wires. If the error persists the charger is probably faulty

So when I did as instructed and then the next day, I got the same error again. I also found that the 75amp fuse had blown on the output side of the charger. The charger is only supposed to have a max output of 50amps and it had been set to charge at no more than 45amps.

So, I think my Orion is defective. I'll try and call the vendor tomorrow, I must say I'm pretty disappointed. I really like everything about the Orion, other than not actually charging of course. I also am not crazy about blowing through a series of MRBF fuses either.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Sounds like an output transistor blew shorted.

 

[dhays]

Sounds like an output transistor blew shorted.

No idea, but could be. I'm hoping it isn't too much of a hassle to deal with getting it replaced. It really is a great charger for my application. If it works of course.

 

[tpbrady]

I am in the midst of planning an LFP switch and one of the things I identified was the need for 2 DC-DC chargers to boost the available amperage to the LFP bank while having redundancy. The only other option was to bypass a failed charger. Have you considered that?

One of the things I am learning is integrating an LFP battery bank into a 30 year old boat is about as complex a task as there is to be sure everything works. Good luck with the final steps.

Tom

 

[CharlieJ]

First step is to ensure that the output fuse isn’t just doing its job. Some basic troubleshooting on the load side needs to be done. After ensuring that there are no defects in the boat’s system, contact your Victron Dealer. Nearly all Victron equipment has a 5 year warranty that starts with the dealer that sold you the unit.

 

[dhays]

I am in the midst of planning an LFP switch and one of the things I identified was the need for 2 DC-DC chargers to boost the available amperage to the LFP bank while having redundancy. The only other option was to bypass a failed charger. Have you considered that?

One of the things I am learning is integrating an LFP battery bank into a 30 year old boat is about as complex a task as there is to be sure everything works. Good luck with the final steps.

I have considered it. Not so much for the redundancy issue but for being able to boost the amps into the house bank. I would be happier if the Orion was less expensive.

In my situation, there are three charge sources for the house bank. The solar is very anemic this time of year with our weather and latitude. However, I can fire up the generator and use the charger/inverter to charge the house.

 

[dhays]

First step is to ensure that the output fuse isn’t just doing its job. Some basic troubleshooting on the load side needs to be done. After ensuring that there are no defects in the boat’s system, contact your Victron Dealer. Nearly all Victron equipment has a 5 year warranty that starts with the dealer that sold you the unit.

Yeah, I contacted the dealer today and got a quick reply. I need to supply them with some additional information. Their reply said that Error #28 comes from the input or output terminals being too how and asked if I used a large enough gauge wire. I'm sure they know than I do (just about anyone knows more than I), but that is not what the Victron information implies at all.

FWIW, I used a 6 AWG wire is the largest wire the Orion can fit in the terminal and the wires have crimped ferrules on them. Furthermore, the terminals getting hot at the Orion would not cause the fuse on the wire (3' away) from blowing. Maybe a chicken and egg thing. If the Orion's internal amp regulation failed, it could easily have caused a higher amperage to pass through the unit, blowing the input and output fuses, and in the process could cause the terminals to heat up.